In reply to im off:
I’d say skiing is much better and safer as it’s much faster and small crevasses are less of an issue. However you do need to be able to ski in control, otherwise it won’t be safe at all...
Climbing in ski touring boots isn’t that bad actually. You get used to it and whilst they are obviously heavier and perhaps less precise, I’ve found they are fine even on relatively hard (for me) routes - I’ve done tech 6 and 7 in them. Having said that, if a route is sustained with lots of pitches at 6 and 7 I’d opt for skiing in and changing into climbing boots. Same for big north faces which are technically easy(ish) but require you to move fast (eg the Ginat - but then logistics there get complicated as it’s up and over!).
Then again, it depends. For example, last season there wasn’t much snow in January so there were tracks into routes like Beyond Good and Evil and Fil a Plomb and people were just walking in in their boots (no snow shoes). Then later on after snow people were turning back even in snow shoes!
Snow shoes are an option for things off the VB but that would generally require one or two hut stays. Not a bad thing in itself, just don’t expect to be up and down in a day, which you can do with skis.
Get a second hand ski touring set up and learn to ski (take lessons or find a friend to teach you). Get your own custom moulded boots if you can. I use Scarpa Maestrales which are a good all rounder - there is lighter stuff available but it’s harder to ski. I reckon most climbers can get to a passable level of skiing after a few weeks (as in being able to ski in control albeit slowly and not falling over when that isn’t an option).
Skiing off piste on often less than perfect snow and with a climbing pack is not easy and you do need to ski in control given there are hidden crevasses and drops. If you can ski the VB in a passable way without a heavy sack, that should be a good starting point. Make sure you finish in daylight though as skiing by head torch is obviously harder and you need to know the terrain fairly well.